Will hospital records show the names of all the doctors and nurses who worked with a patient during an inpatient stay two years ago?

I had a near death experience in a hospital two years ago, and I don’t even know the names of the people who saved my life.

When it happened, I was very naive and completely did not understand the severity of the situation. I complained a lot and did not show them the appreciation they deserved. I’d really like to send them cards thanking them. Can you assist me on how I might go about getting all the necessary information and carrying this out?

6 Answers

If you can get a copy of the medical records the nurses notes and doctors orders should be signed. (I could be wrong because I worked in a hospital before the computer age, but the electronic signatures should be more legible than the paper ones I worked with.)

Yes, if it was recorded correctly. I guess if a nurse helped who was not your directly assigned nurse, but did a favor maybe for another nurse, it might not be recorded. Some sort of unnexpected interaction.

You have to request to see or receive copies of your medical record in advance. In addition, you typically have to pay for a copy of your medical record.

Since there is a specific period you are looking for, you can explain the situation to medical records and request that you be given permission to view your medical record, and write down the names of your care providers from that episode.

Another possible approach would be to call the Director’s office (the place people typically call with complaints) and tell them you wish to recognize the excellent service provided by your care team between date1 and date2. They might be willing to look into the names of your providers for you.

When my sister had her car accident she was in the I.C.U. for two weeks in the U.S. Once she stabilized she was flown to Canada to continue her recovery. Two years later, when she was finally up on her feet, we called the hospital with the dates she was in and told them we were coming to thank all the doctors and nurses who saved her life. They arranged a day for us to visit and they gathered as many of the health care workers as they could. They were all amazed at just how short she is. I guess she looked taller lying down.